Attachment for hosiery knitting machines



March 9, 1937.

ATTACHMENT FOR HOSIERY KNITTING MACHINES E. MARGETQISON 2 ,073,560

Filed Aug. 30, 1955 :s Sheets-Sheet 1 T March 9, 1937. E. MARGERISON 2, 7

ATTACHMENT FOR HOSIERY KNITTING MACHINES Filed Aug. 30, 1935 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Q E. MARGERISON ,07 ,5

ATTACHMENT FOR HOSIERY KNITTING MACHINES Filed Aug. 30, 1935 4 3Sheets-Sheet 3 F 27 I I Patented Mar; 9, 1937 UNITED s'rl xras PATENT. OFFICE ao zasso ATTACHMENT FOR, HOSIERYYKNITTING MACHINES Earl Margerison, Elkins Park, Pa assignor to Northwood Hosiery 00., Philadelphia, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Application August so, 1935, Serial No..38,628

' 8 Claims. (01. 66-82 This invention relates to an attachment for a flat full fashioned hosiery knitting machine for mechanism which may be readily applied to ex-' isting full fashioned hosiery knitting machines of well-known makes and which can be controlled by the regular narrowing or pattern chains of such machines to operate the stitch-regulating means periodically to change the length of stitch in each successive course within the knee areaor respectively composed of a plurality of courses wherein all the stitches are of equal lengths.

The construction, application and'operation of the device forming the subject matterof the pres-' ent invention will be fully disclosed hereinafter, reference beinghad to the accompanying drawings,of which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view illustrating the device as applied to the stitch-regulating mecha-' y nism of a conventional machine;

Fig.2 is afragmentary front elevation of the narrowing motion and pattern chain of said machine and the controlling mechanism of the device forming the subject matter of the present invention;-

Fig. 3 is a front elevation of the device'as applied to the regular stitch-regulatingmechanism of the machine; Y A 0 Fig. 4 is'a sectional elevation taken on the line 4l, Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a-sectional plan view taken on the line 5-5, Fig. 4; and

Fig. 6 is a diagrammatic view of the stocking. As shown in Fig. 1 of the drawings, I, I are the needles of one section of a conventionaltype of flat full fashioned hosiery knitting machine. The needle bar, in which said needles are rigidly mounted, is shown at 2. The needlebar 2 is pivotally mounted on and at the outer ends of a pair of laterally spaced levers 3, only one of which is shown in the present instance. The needle bar levers 3, 3 are secured to the needle bar shaft 5 v which is mounted for oscillation in the main frame of the machine and rocked by cams (not shown) on the main cam shaft 6 of the machine. The needle bar 2 is rocked on the levers 3, 3 by a depending arm I, through a link 8, from a presser lever 9 which is secured to the presser shaft II) of the machine and which, like the needle 5 bar 9, is mounted for oscillation in the main frame of the machine. v

The presser arm 9 has a cam follower I I thereon which is engaged by the presser .cam I2 on the cam shaft 6,-for rocking the needle bar to 10 effect pressing of the needles against the presser plate (not shown) as the shaft 5 is rocked to lower the needlesto cast their stitches in the wellknown manner.

As is well-known the length of the stitch is de- 15 termined by the distance at which the shanks of the needles are held away from the forward edges of the sinkers and dividers of the machine (not shown) while the thread is beingv fed to and sunk around and between the needles. for each group of a series of groups of courses This positioning of the needlesrelative to the 2 sinkers and dividers and the consequent length of the stitches is controlled by a lever I4, on the stitch-regulating shaft I5, which has a laterally projecting pin I6 engaging the lower end of the 254 presser lever 9 and which holds the cam roller II off the presser cam I2 during the laying of the thread to the needles. The stitch-regulating shaft I5 is pivotally mounted in. bearings I6 on the front beam I! of 30 the machine and is maintained in stitch-measur- 1 ing' position by a circular portion I8 of a cam I9 on the main cam shaft 6 while the thread carrier and slur cock of the machine are traversing'the needle, and sinker banks-respectively and until the 35 dividers have been advanced by the catch b'ar to equalize the thread between the needles, said cam being cut away at 20 to permit the presser cam to function.

The cam I9 is engaged by cam' follower 2| 40 which is carried by the outer end of the one part 22 of the composite stitch-regulating lever 23, the second part 24 of which is bifurcated and secured manually to set the machine for a given number of courses per inch by actuating the setting or .slacking lever 21.

The slacking lever is secured to a coarse bearing 29 forming part of the lever part 24. The

coarse screw 28 is bored axiallyand said axial bore is threaded for the reception of a vernier screw 30, the inner end of which bears against a pad 32 which is carried by the lever part 22.- The vernier screw 30 is provided at its opposite end with an index wheel 33.

The index'wheel 33 is provided with transverse threaded screw 28 which is threaded into a nut machine is provided with relatively spaced buttons 46, 46 which, as the chain is advanced link by link in the usual and ordinary manner, engage a lug 41 on a lever 48 which is pivotally mounted at 49 on the main bracket 50 of the regular chain motion of the machine.

The lever 48 is connected by a reach rod or link 5| to a depending extension 52 of the pawl 4|.

notches on its periphery with which is engaged a spring-pressed detent 34 which is housed in the slacking lever 21.

The slacking lever is provided with a second detent 35 which engages the teeth or notches of an index disc 36 which is secured to the outer end of the nut bearing 29.

By turning the slacking lever 21, notch afte notch around the index disc 36, a relatively large variation in the angle betweenthe two lever parts 22 24 is accomplished for each notch and by turning the vernier screw 30, a very slight variation in .said angle is effected for each notch on the index wheel 33, due to the'slight angle of the .threads of the screw 30.

The machine as so far described is of the usual and ordinary construction and operates in the usual conventional manner.

The stocking shown in Fig. 6 and covered per se by the above noted copending application differs from an ordinary stocking in 'that the length of the stitches in the courses constituting the knee area C changes gradually from the longer length of stitch employed in the welt or top sections A and B of the stocking to the shorter length stitch employed in the leg section D.

To accomplish the above noted gradual shortening of the length of stitch a tomatically, the outer end of the vernier screw 30 s provided with a ratchet wheel 4|I, which as the composite lever 23 is rocked outwardly by the cam follower 2| The pawl M is normally maintained in an inactive position, out of the path of oscillation of the ratchet wheel 40 as the lever 23 rocks about the axis of the regulating shaft I5, by a spring 53 (see Fig; 2) having one end secured to the rod 5| and'its opposite secured to a fixed portion of the machine. I

The connection between the rod 5| and the pawl extension 52 is of a resilient nature, said rod having a collar 54 secured thereto at one side of the pawl extension 52 and arranged to engage one side of said extension as the rod moves in the direction to effect disengagement of the pawl 4| from the ratchet wheel 40, and aspring 55 encircling the rod 5| between the opposite side of the extension and a second collar 56 secured to the rod 5| for resiliently pressing the pawl into engagement with the ratchet wheel 40, said rod passingthrough the pawl extension 52 and being capable of sliding movement therein.

In order to maintain the pawl 4| in alignment with the ratchet wheel 40 at all times, as the composite lever 23 rocks about the axis of the regulating shaft |5,'the pawl 4| is composed of two parts 4|q and 4|b pivotally connected at Me for riding .from the low part 20 to the high part l8 of the cam I9, is engaged by a pawl 4| which is pivotally mounted on a stud 42 secured in and projecting outwardly from the front beam ll of the machine.

Each time the lever 23 rocks outwardly the vernier screw 30 is turned to the extent corresponding to the angle between each two or more teeth of the ratchet wheel 40, thus a very slight variation in the angle between the two lever .parts 22-24 is accomplished with a resultant very slight change in the length of the stitches of the course which is made following the turning of the vernier screw 30. i

In some instances, it may be desirable to change the length of stitch in each succeeding course in the knee area C but it ispreferable to change the length of stitch in each of a'number of groups of .courses, such, for example, as after each second, third, fourth or fifth course and 'so on. Variation of the stitch length at every fourth course, however, has proven quite satisfactory in practice, and the change between each succeeding group of four courses is so gradual that it cannot be detected by other than close inspection by an expert, thus as the change in stitch length takes place gradually over a relative large area of the stocking the general appearance of the stocking is in no wise affected while a considerably greater elasticity is provided in the knee area than has been possible heretofore without affecting the appearance of the stocking. I

In order to make the pawl 4| effective at. every fourth course, or at any desired interval, the

regular pattern or narrowing chain 45 of the ment of the ratchet wheel and in order that the ratchet wheel will receive but a one, two or three etc. tooth racking for each. oscillation of the lever '23 the pawl 4| is provided" with a cam surface which is adapted to be engaged by a pin 6|.

The pin BI is adjustably carried by the'lever 23 and which, as saidlever is rocked, holds the pawl out of contact with the ratchet wheel, permitting such engagement only as the lever 23 rocks to an extent where the pin 6| functioning as a cam.-

follower slides down the incline of the cam 60 on the pawl and thereby causes the pawl to engage the ratchet wheel during the last part of the rocking motion which is just suflicient to effect the desired degree of racking of the ratchet 'wheel 40.

' By the abovenoted construction, the vernier screw 30 is given a very slight degree of rotation and the angle between the lever parts 22 and 24 is varied very slightly, consequently the length of stitch is varied to a very slight extent each, time a change therein occurs.

In cases where the stocking is being knitted from the top toward the foot the stitches are gradually decreased in length, but in caseswhere the stocking is knitted from the toe toward the topthe stitches in the knee area would be gradually lengthened.

After, the completion of each set of stockings on the knitting machine, the vernier screw 30 is returned to the starting point, by means such aovaaeo as a knob 65 secured to the outer end of said screw, for setting the machine to the length of stitch required for the starting ends of the stockings of the next set.

5 I claim:

1. The combination with variable stitch-regulating means of a knitting machine which includes a composite lever structure comprising a pair of sections, cooperating nut and screw elements carl ried by said lever for varying the anglelbetween said sections; and means for intermittently turning one-cf said elements relative tothe other consistently in one direction for gradually decreasing the angle between said lever sections, produc- 15 ing a corresponding gradual reduction in the length of stitch produced by said machine. I

- d 2. The combination with variable stitch-regulating means of a knitting machine which includes a composite lever structure comprising a a 20 pair of sections, cooperating nut and screw elements carried by said lever for varying the angle between said sections, and means including pawl v and ratchet mechanism for intermittently turning one ofsaid elements relative to the other con- 2 sistently in one direction for gradually decreasing the angle between said lever sections, producing a corresponding gradual reduction in the length of stitch produced by said machine.

' 3. The combination with variable stitch-regulating means of a knitting machine which inlating means of a knitting machine which in- 45 cludes a composite lever structure comprising a pair of sections, cooperating nut and screwele- ,ments carried by said lever for varying the angle between said sections, means including pawl and ratchet mechanism for intermittently turning 50 one of said elements relative to the.other for gradually varying the length of stitch produced by said machine, and a cam and cam follower carried by said pawl and said lever respectively for controlling the engagement of the pawl with 55 the ratchet.

5. The combination with variable stitch-ream lating means of a knitting machine which includes a composite lever structure comprising a ratchet.

pair of sections, cooperating nut and screwelements carried by said lever for varying the angle between said sections, means including pawl and ratchet mechanism for intermittently turning one of said elements relative to the other for gradually varying the length of stitch produced by said machine, a cam and cam follower carried by said pawland said lever respectively for controlling the engagement of the pawl with the ratchet during a portion of a rocking motion of said.

lever, and means for controlling the time of engagement between said cam and cam follower.

6. The combination with variable stitch-regulating means of a knitting machine which includes a composite lever structure comprising a pair of sections, cooperating nut and screw elements carried by said lever for varying the angle between said sections, means including pawl and ratchet mechanism for intermittently turning one of said elements relative to' the other for gradually varying the length of stitch produced by said machine, a cam and cam follower carried by said pawl and said leverrespectively for controlling the engagement of the pawl and the ratchet, and means actuated by the pattern chain of said machine for controlling engagement between said cam, and the cam follower.

7. The combination with variable stitch-regulating means of a knitting machine which includes a. composite lever structure comprising a pair of sections, cooperating nut and screw elements carried by said lever for varying the angle therebetween, means including pawl and ratchet mechanism for intermittently turning one of said elements relative to the'other consistently in one direction for gradually decreasing the angle between said lever sections, producing 9. corresponding gradual reduction in the length of stitch produced by said' machine, and means controlled by the pattern chain of themachine for controlling engagement between said pawl and 8. The combination with variable stitch-regulating means of a knitting machine which includes a composite lever structure comprising a pair of sections, cooperating nut and screw elements carried by-s'aid lever for varying the angle between said sections, means including pawl and ratchet mechanism for intermittently turning one of said elements relative to the other for gradually varying the length of stitch produced by said machine, said pawl comprising two pivotally connected parts, means pivotally mounting one part to a flxed portion of the machine. and means for maintaining the second part in operative alignment with said ratchet.

EARL MARGERIBON. 

